THAT I RANDOMLY FOUND WHILE I AM ACTUALLY WORKING…

It provides a facilitated access to internet and offers some basic tutorial on how to use the mouse, etc.

I used it in a few sessions with my students becuase it is provided with an audio guide which is really suitable for somebody who cannot read and/or visually impaired.

Good website. 

On a negative side, i got quite lost when i got to the homepge, which is very crowded and takes for granted a good level of familiarity with wikies and similar applications. So I am not sure about the purpose of this interface that wants to simplfy something that is quite complex for a start…

Well, so I also have a wiki on assistive technologies, but I am not sure I will keep it alive at all…Here by the link to it…

http://masterioe.wetpaint.com/

 JISC TechDis Resources

o       JISC TechDis Accessibility Essentials – www.techdis.ac.uk/accessibilityessentials

o       JISC TechDis free assistive technology area – http://www.techdis.ac.uk/getfreesoftware

o       JISC TechDis Staff Packs – www.techdis.ac.uk/staffpacks

o       JISC TechDis Community Site – www.techdis.ac.uk/community

o       JISC TechDis User Preferences Toolbar – www.techdis.ac.uk/gettoolbar

o       Creation of Learning Materials Website Sections – www.techdis.ac.uk/getcreationlearningmaterials

o       JISC TechDis Senior Management Briefing Series – www.techdis.ac.uk/getbriefings

o       JISC TechDis HEAT Scheme – www.techdis.ac.uk/getheatscheme

o       JISC TechDis Email Helpdesk – helpdesk@techdis.ac.uk

Free and Open Source Technology Tools

Reading Assistance

• Natural Reader (free version) – www.naturalreaders.com

Provides text to speech conversion for documents, web pages, emails etc. Can be run as a discrete toolbar within programmes

• Microsoft Reader – www.microsoft.com/reader
• Dspeech – http://dimio.altervista.org/eng/

Text to speech conversion which can be saved as either MP3 or WAV for easy audio file creation.

• ScreenTinter LITE – www.thomson-software-solutions.com/html/downloads.html

Provides an easy method of changing the text and background colours within any document or web page.

• WordTalk – www.wordtalk.org.uk

Plug in for Microsoft® Word which speaks and highlights text within a document

• SayPad – http://inspiredcode.net/4VisImp.htm

Enable text to speech conversion for large volumes of text, splitting the text into manageable ‘chapters’. Provides MP3 conversion.

• iZoom – www.issist.com

Enables screen magnification (up to 16 times) and display options including high contrast colours for the computer.

• Virtual magnifying glass – http://portableapps.com/apps/accessibility/virtual_magnifying_glass_portable

Portable magnifier works from USB drive – variable zoom (1-20x), configurable size, and hot-key support (CTRL-ALT-e).

• CliCk, Speak – http://clickspeak.clcworld.net

A Firefox add-in designed to provide audio output for sighted users. Users navigate the screen using the mouse to highlight text and hear the audio output.

• WordWeb5 – http://wordweb.info/free/

A thesaurus and dictionary for Windows to look up words from almost any program, showing definitions, synonyms and related words. It includes pronunciations and usage examples. This is not freeware but ‘Greenware’ – it is free to use provided you take less than one return flight a year. A licensed version is also available.

• ReadTheWords.com – http://www.readthewords.com
  A free online text-to-speech application that can take text from direct input as well as Word files, PDF files, web pages etc. (up to 80,000 characters) in English, French or Spanish and transforms them into speech which can then be very easily read aloud in the browser, saved as MP3, saved to MP3 device or can be embedded into a blog or website.

Writing Assistance

• LetMeType – www.clasohm.com/lmt/en/

Word prediction software, enabling increased level of text input. Works in Microsoft® Word and all other programs which require text input.

• Dasher – www.inference.phy.cam.ac.uk/dasher/

Dasher is a zooming text interface method. Text can be inputted using a conventional mouse, other input device or eye tracking software. Can increase input speed, but requires some conceptual training.

Planning Assistance Tools

• Freemind – http://sourceforge.net/projects/freemind

Mind mapping software to enable visual planning and structuring of ideas and documents.

• Stickies – http://www.zhornsoftware.co.uk/stickies/index.html
  Sticky notes on your screen that can be moved around and set to give reminders and alarms.
• KalendarUK – http://sourceforge.net/projects/freemind

Handy calendar/planning/to do and alarm software that runs from a USB drive so can travel with the user and work on any computer.

Recording Tools

• Audacity – http://audacity.sourceforge.net

Software to enable recording, importing and editing of audio files, with the ability to export files as MP3. An easy and effective way of tutors creating learning materials or learners providing assignments in an alternative format.

• Audacity Portable – http://portableapps.com/apps/music_video/audacity_portable

Provides the same audio functionality of Audacity, with the added advantage of running from a memory stick.

• Skype and SAM – www.skype.com and
  http://www.softpedia.com/get/Office-tools/Fax-Telephony/SAM-Skype-Answering-Machine.shtml

Skype is the well known Internet Telephony service, when combined with SAM (Skype Answer Machine) it can enable interviews/dialogues/conference calls to be recorded as MP3s in order to quickly create learning objects.

• Gabcast – http://www.gabcast.com

A free ‘phone to MP3’ service. By phoning a normal geographical number (at the standard rate) the message left turns into an MP3 on a free Gabcast site.

Alternative Input/Interface Tools

• Thunder Screenreader – www.screenreader.net

Thunder is a freely available (for personal use) screen reader which provides audio navigation and text to speech output from a computer. AbilityNet videos on the use of Thunder are available from YouTube: www.youtube.com/results?search_query=AbilityNet

• NVDA – www.nvda-project.org/download.html

NVDA is a Windows compatible screen reader which provides audio navigation and text to speech output from a computer.

• Visual Mouse – www.mousevision.com

Enables a user to move the mouse, and select information using head movements combined with a web cam.

• Click-n-Type – www.lakefolks.org/cnt/

Click-n-Type is a switch compatible onscreen keyboard with word prediction and completion built in.

Visualisation Tools

• Wink – www.debugmode.com/wink

Wink enables users to capture screenshots, add explanation boxes, buttons, audio content and titles and then join a number of slides together to create a ‘movie’.

• Camstudio – www.camstudio.org

Camstudio is a screen capture software which will record (in AVI format) any activity that is occurring on a computer screen. Camstudio also synchronises the audio (either via a microphone or directly from the computer)

• Microsoft® Photo Story 3 – www.microsoft.com/photostory

Create slideshows using your digital photos and images. Crop or rotate pictures, add special effects, titles, captions, soundtracks, and your own voice narration to images. Can export as small file sizes, ideal for display on portable devices.

Making use of mobile devices

Mobile devices such as phones, MP3 players etc offer a range of benefits for disabled staff and learners. These include both generic advantages (portability, audio recording and playback etc) and specific assistive technologies including text to speech. Advice and guidance on the use of mobile learning as an assistive technology can be found on the JISC TechDis website at www.techdis.ac.uk/getm-learning.

Further Links and Information

• AbilityNet – www.abilitynet.org.uk/webshareware

Useful information on low cost and no cost technologies to support accessibility.

• Assist-I.T. – www.assist-it.org.uk/assets/content/download_links.htm
  Very good list of tools and links available on the tools available to support accessibility.

Contact Details

JISC TechDis Service

The Higher Education Academy Building

Innovation Way

York Science Park

York

YO10 5BR

Web: www.techdis.ac.uk

Email: helpdesk@techdis.ac.uk

Tel: +44 (0)1904 717580

Fax: +44 (0)1904 717505

more to follow

Has a website…but…goggle adices you that it might be dangerous to access it…How paradoxical is that!!!

I’ll access it from work and see if it is sueful…At the mo’ I am home sick…I won’t risk it! hi hi

HERE THE LINK TO THE FAST HOMEPAGE, WHERE FAST = FOUNDATION FOR ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY

PLACES OF INTEREST ON THE WEBSITE, AS IN: WHAT’S USEFUL ON IT

from the  “homepage quick menu”, on the left

1. TRAINING AND COURSES PAGE

2. VERY EXHAUSTIVE  RESEARCH PROJECTS SECTION – THEY PRODUCE PUBBLICATIONS, TOO.

3. EVENTS PAGE IS INTERNATIONAL AND REGULARLY UPDATED BUT AIM MAINLY AT MEDICAL STUFF, LESS EDUCATIONAL

4. VERY GOOD ALSO THE JOBS LINK

similarly useful is the link in the homepage to

AT PRODUCTS

IT OFFERS A VERY USEFUL LIST OF ORGANISATIONS THAT PROVIDE INDEPENDENT ADIVCE. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assistive_technology

I know we shouldn’t use Wikipedia for academic referencing….but this is my blog and my law rules.

I thought this page was a good starting point to introduce whoever to the topic of assistive techology, as it offers a good overview.

In these last years, in education and not, ICT and the relevance of new techologieshas have grown to such an extent that my 87 year old granma cannot help them. The point is that she lives in an obscure village on the top of some unpopular peak in the Dolomites, North Italy: it’s (nearly) everywhere!

Hence, as is there is no way to escape the enemy (???), it might as well be worth allying.

Easy to say that my granma is more familiar with growing potatoes in her allotment, as she has been doing for the last 70 or so years, than with surfing the web…that, broadband speaking, arrived in the village maybe last year or something ridiculous like that….

So…yeah…a lot is happening and quickly, very quickly…too quickly for everybody to keep up with it…I guess it is so ridicolous that technology can’t even keep up with itself, paradoxically! Some assistance is definitely required…at many different levels…from the top down and from the bottom up…and this is where the story begins…

P.S. in the pic, my granma’s village

t.b.c.